Historical structures: Peshawar’s architectural jewel opens its doors for all

The Sethi family may have gone but they have left a rich heritage for people to admire for years to come.

PESHAWAR:

Peshawar’s jewel in the crown, the Mohallah Sethian or Sethi Street, stands as a testament to days gone by when stories of distant lands were narrated over cups of green tea and caravans of traders stopped in the city, while travelling from the Central Asian steppes to the Indian plains.

This was the area where the Sethi family settled when it arrived in Peshawar in the 1730s. Historians recall that the Sethi family belonged to the trading class and “transacted international business, commerce and trade which passed from India to Afghanistan and Central Asia,” as noted by late historian Ahmed Hassan Dani.



The Sethis have left Peshawar with seven magnificent havelis. The Sethi House, which still stands, was built by Sethi Karim Bakhsh in 1882. In the words of architect Naeem Safi, the house embodies techniques and aesthetic influences from a diverse range of sources. The design resembles old houses in Baghdad whereas the decorative elements trace their origins to Samarkand and Bukhara, and even bits of Persia and India.

In his writings, Dani threw some light on where the Sethis came from. He traced the etymology of the word Sethi to the Sanskrit word ‘Sreshthin’ which means the head of a business community.

But the family saw its fortunes change while in Peshawar. The family’s wealth declined after the First World War when the Bolsheviks toppled the Czarist Empire. The repudiation of Czarists bonds and change to new currency notes turned the Sethis into paupers from princes because they were in possession of these bonds owing to their business in those areas. As a result, the family lost both the Central Asian market and their accumulated wealth.



Architecture The family may have gone but they have left a rich heritage for people to admire for years to come. The Sethi house is one such example. One enters through a carved wooden doorway which leads to the central courtyard with a fountain in the centre and delicately embellished wooden arcades on all sides. A large amount of wood with brick fillings was used in the construction of this house.

From the central courtyard the view is a blend of mesmerising delicate mastery of woodwork with floral and geometric patterns carved into it. The balconies of the two upper floors open into the central courtyard.



The living spaces have richly decorated ‘cheenee khanas’ or reception rooms where decorative pieces are displayed. Safi states that various layers of crafts including ‘aina-kari’, ‘manabat-kari’ and ‘kashi-kari’ were used for the decoration. The second floor boasts painted designs and cut glass fixed on the walls and basements embellished into wooden carvings.



There are lessons for present day architects here. Researchers praise the structure for its energy efficiency. “In the Allah Buksh Sethi haveli, we observe that the factors of shape and size configuration and orientation of the courtyard have an impact on the environment,” says a recent study titled ‘Sethi Haveli, an indigenous model for 21st century green architecture.’ (Published in the International Journal of Architectural Research Volume 4, Issue 1, March 2010).  “Reinvesting in the successful vernacular courtyard house by updating its features and amenities to provide for contemporary needs is the answer to our quest for green architecture,” it adds.

Restoration



In 2006, then Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal government of the province purchased one of these mansions, Sethi House and handed it over to the archaeology department for conservation. It was recently opened for tourists.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 4^th, 2013.